A friend's Dad had an old building he ran a printing supply company out of. We were moving some stuff around for him and came across an old York double bell euphonium. The Dad had played clarinet in a community band and the owner of the euphonium was moving and asked if the Dad could store it for him back in the 60s, and the guy never came back for it. Horn looks to be in marvelous shape, slides and valves all move easily. Case and mouthpiece are original. Any idea of how do determine the date of manufacture? Serial number looks to be 5056D?

Is that actually a piston? It almost looks like a quick change rotary. I have one on something, maybe a mellophone.

It is a full size piston. The photo makes it look odd, but its a full size that matches the others. It's positioned almost perpendicular to the other pistons. According to Hornucopia, it dates around 1905. It looks very different than the other York double bells I've seen on the internet. There wasn't a single dent or sign of finish ware on the horn, a few small scratches on the bottom bow and back of the large bell. It doesn't look like it's really been used. It also has the original mouthpiece.